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When Valentina showed up twenty minutes late, I knew something had to be up. My twin could be a real pain in the ass on a lot of things, but she was always punctual. “Sorry, sorry.” She kissed my cheek before dropping into a chair and groaning like she’d just finished running a marathon. Even all worn out, she looked fantastic in a knee-length camel coat I didn’t recognize.
“I’m borrowing that,” I informed her, reaching out to test the weight and softness.
“I only bought it over the weekend,” she informed me with another dramatic groan, growling before she yanked the fabric out of my hand. “Let me break it in first before you steal it.”
“So what’s up?” I asked, rolling my eyes when she took my glass of chardonnay and gulped the rest of it down.
Flipping her mahogany locks over one shoulder, she sighed like a woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Blue eyes similar to mine flashed as she explained, “You name it. I swear, everything that could go wrong today did. The new club I’m supposed to be promoting? The one opening in the meatpacking district?” My head bobbed. “They failed their final inspection, so the whole opening is getting pushed back weeks. Now I have to go and kiss ass with everybody who was supposed to be working with me on the run-up to the opening and be like sorry, my mistake, I’m working with a bunch of fucking amateurs.”
I had no idea how she did her job. The girl kept so many plates spinning all at once and always managed to keep everything moving smoothly. “That sucks. I’m sorry.”
“I’m going to need an entire bottle of this.” She twisted in her chair, looking around for a server. When she caught the attention of someone, she held her glass up, then two fingers. Settling back down, she waved her hands, blowing out another sigh. “Sorry. How are you? Let’s talk about something fun.”
Well, there went my intended topic. “I texted Rose to let her know I’d need something for the gala,” I told her instead of mentioning Miles.
Our mother’s nonprofit was coming up on thirty years of empowering women, helping them find employment, and giving them the skills they needed to advance. It only seemed fitting to throw a huge celebration.
“Oh, hell, it’s time for that already?” Shaking her head, she pulled out her phone to scroll through her calendar. “I swear to God, I’m losing it.”
“It’s weeks away,” I reminded her. She was so organized when it came to her clients but not so much when it came to her own life. “But yeah, maybe you could ask Rose for a little help finding something to wear.” Ari was fine for dressing Mom and her friends, but Rose understood what women our age liked.
“What about you?” When two glasses of wine arrived, she snatched one up without looking at it, her familiar blue eyes never leaving my face. That was the thing about being a twin. I couldn’t hide anything from her any more than she could hide from me. I might be able to lie to other people, but not her. “You look as though you have something on your mind. All frowny and squinty.”
Why waste time pretending? For one thing, she didn’t need to hear about it right now. It might be better to keep this to myself and try to learn what I could about Miles. If this allturned out to be nothing, I didn’t want to stir up shit that didn’t need to be stirred.
“I’m fine. I really am,” I insisted when she smirked like she didn’t believe me. “It’s just been a long day. I’m not feeling great.”
“What, you mean staying with Mommy and Daddy isn’t super refreshing?” She batted her eyelashes before snickering when I groaned. Mom had insisted I stay in my old room for a few weeks while my apartment was being renovated. Talk about being put on the spot. Refusal would’ve hurt her feelings. “You know, you don’t have to stay there. Mom would get over it,” she pointed out.
“That’s not the problem.” Dammit. I caught myself too late.
“What is the problem?” The gears were turning, for sure. It would’ve made things less cringeworthy if I’d come out and told her everything, but it would’ve meant dumping more stress on her already hectic day.
I could handle things on my own.
There was only one surefire excuse. “Cramps,” I whispered, grimacing. When she sat back, nodding and frowning in empathy, it looked like I was home free, even if it was a complete lie.
“You’ll feel better out on the slopes in a couple of weeks,” she predicted.
Of course, I had almost forgotten about the trip to the family’s cabin in Vermont. It had been Valentina’s idea after we’d had so much fun hanging out with our cousins and friends at the Goldsmith estate in the Hamptons. It had meant all of us getting together for the first time since Colton and Rose started dating, and we’d had a blast. We hoped to get a little time in on the slopes prior to spring rolling around.
“You’re right,” I agreed with a genuine smile. “It’ll be good to get up there for a while.” And hopefully, by then, the whole Milesproblem would be in my rearview mirror. I felt a little better by the time I started sipping my fresh wine, and my sister had me cracking up before long with stories from a recent disaster of a first date. It was enough that I could almost forget the whole thing.
That was until we parted ways so she could hurry off to a meeting. There was nothing stopping thoughts of Miles from rushing in and wrapping me in a fog of indecision. My heart was beating too fast as I stepped onto the sidewalk and took a deep breath of cool air. It didn’t do much to clear my thoughts, and my pulse still pounded sickeningly. Was I having a panic attack? I’d never had one that I knew of, but I had heard them described, and this sure as hell felt like one—short of breath, sweating, the whole nine yards.
“You okay, sweetheart?” An older man noticed me practically clinging to a light pole, struggling to catch my breath. I nodded and gave him as much of a smile as I could. What was it people said about New Yorkers? We weren’t nice, but we were kind. That man was another example. He continued on his way, and somehow, the distraction he had provided helped me regain control of myself. Not that I had forgotten my worries, but I could keep moving.
And once I started moving, there was one place I knew I had to be. If I had to wait a while for Dad to get home, so be it. I wanted to talk to him face-to-face and immediately. Otherwise, there was no way I’d be able to function. As it was, I was hanging on by a thread.
After a short walk, I entered the apartment building I had called home for most of my life. The staff at the front desk had changed, but not much else had. There was something comforting about walking the familiar path to the elevator. The ability to move on autopilot, going through the motions I’d gone through so many times before, stabilized me.
Stepping off the elevator on the top floor, I opened the door to the sunshine-drenched penthouse. “Hello?” I called out, closing the door behind me, noting how quiet it was. I hadn’t expected Mom to be around at this time of day—her work at the nonprofit normally kept her out until at least late afternoon or early evening, depending on her committments. Dad, however, had a more flexible schedule.
I was counting on him being home while Mom was out for the sake of privacy.
My heart sank a little when silence was the only response I received until his voice rang out. “In my study, Pumpkin.” Normally, the sound of my childhood nickname would make me roll my eyes. Instead, I had to blink back the tears that came from out of nowhere. He couldn’t have lied to us. I was twenty-eight years old and couldn’t handle the idea of my father lying to me.
He met me in the doorway, smiling broadly as I approached. Aside from the silver threading through his dark hair and the lines at the corners of his eyes, he could have passed for a man twenty years younger.
